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Welcome to my blog about family, faith, and our adventures with homeschooling!

Monthly Archives: February 2015

Ryan and I went to our book report club this afternoon while Brendan was in class (he takes Spanish and Science outside of home). Ryan did his report on Benjamin Franklin. My dad came to watch too and we heard reports on submarines, owls, book reports, the history of Monopoly, Lewis and Clark, donuts, and more! Great job everybody 🙂 !

It absolutely amazes me how fast Brendan and Ryan are growing up!!!

I decided to do a “Throwback Thursday” post and was blownaway by how much they have changed over the past three years!

Where did my babies go???

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These pictures were all taken during February 2012 – I had soooo much fun going back and looking at them! Looking back really makes me appreciate all of the extra time that I’ve had with my children due to homeschooling! We’ve made so many precious memories!!! LOVE, LOVE,LOVE my boys (even when they drive me crazy 😉 )!

Remember that each moment with your family is a precious gift from God!

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We got more snow last night and I actually let the kids have a snow day for once. I’ve been catching up on my to-do list so it was a “win-win”!

Barbara Hancock!

CONGRATULATIONS🙂 !

I know that the HEAV Convention will be a HUGE blessing to you and your family – thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

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Thank you also to everybody who entered the giveaway! I’ve really enjoyed reading your comments and getting to know you all a little better! Please “follow” me if you’d like to keep up with our latest homeschool adventures and stay in touch.

***Don’t worry if you didn’t win this giveaway…you will have a few other chances before June gets here…

My other HEAV blog friends will also be hosting giveaways on their sites! I will let you all know how to enter their contests soon!

I love how the ground gets covered by a shimmering blanket of white. Everything seems to sparkle and look so clean and fresh. The colors of the birds seem more vibrant and the sky seems be a brighter shade of blue.

And then, it happens.

The plows come through and drop dirt and salt all over the road. The kids trample though the snow drifts and leave dirty footprints. The sled goes down the hill over and over until the mud and grass show through. The dogs go outside to do their business, and well…enough said 🙂 . It makes me wish for another quick layer of fresh powder to cover the dirt again.

Homeschooling can feel like this sometimes too. We start off with so much excitement and enthusiasm. The new pencils are freshly sharpened and the notebooks look pristine. Our lesson plans are ready and several fun field trips are scheduled. The kids may even be ready for a change of pace and a regular routine after the long days of summer.

And then, it happens.

The first pencil tip is broken in frustration over a difficult math lesson.

The notebooks now have eraser marks and get tossed around until they are ragged. Not everything on the lesson plan gets done and a sickness interrupts the scheduled field trip. The kids are already counting down the days until next summer.

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As homeschool moms, our “dirt” may start to show too. We get grumpy when things don’t go as we planned. Our patience starts wearing thin. We get tired and homeschooling seems like a long, unending road. We long for a fresh start.

We need to “renew our joy”!!!

One of the best ways to get a fresh start is to attend a homeschool convention. The HEAV Convention is one of my favorite weekends every year! I always leave refreshed, full of excitement, encouraged, re-energized, and ready (with God’s help 🙂 ) to tackle another year of school.